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Historian Greg Smits' interest in earthquakes began in 2002, with a catfish. A book full of catfish, to be precise. That work has now culminated in two books released in rapid succession, the first a close look at the pivotal Ansei Edo earthquake and its enduring legacy, and the second tracing the broader history of Japanese earthquakes since the 17th century. Both volumes provide important context for the massive disaster that struck the country in March 2011, and whose impacts are still unfolding.

Penn State's Engineering Library helped with the recent nuclear crisis in Japan by supplying information on the Three Mile Island (TMI-2) cleanup to U.S. engineering firms who are working with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Toshiba Corporation. The nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island near Harrisburg garnered world concern when it happened in 1979. Today, Penn State University Libraries houses the Three Mile Island (TMI-2) Recovery and Decontamination Collection which contains several thousand videotapes and technical reports detailing the work done during the decade-long cleanup project at the plant.

Immediately following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, Penn State student volunteers mobilized to raise money for those affected by the disaster. Their various efforts have collected $14,397 for the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Tsunmai relief fund. "I am overwhelmed by the number of people who came out to support Japan," said Rino Sato, president of the Penn State Student Red Cross Club. "This was close to the heart for people with family in Japan, but there were people who did not know anyone in Japan and still came out to help. We were very inspired by them."

Five University and community organizations are joining together to sponsor a presentation that will focus on the problems and impacts of the recent events in Japan. "Disasters in Japan: A Community Discussion" will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, April 11 at Greg Sutliff Auditorium in the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State's University Park campus. A reception with refreshments and the opportunity to make donations to relief efforts in Japan opens the event at 6:30 p.m. Donations will be sent to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Fund.

Penn State Hershey Medical Group-Palmyra is collecting blankets to support relief efforts in Japan. New or gently used blankets will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 11 to 22, in the Palmyra Building, 941 Park Drive, Palmyra, Pa. The office has teamed up with the Salvation Army to have the items shipped to those in need.

Penn State Public Broadcasting will air a live television call-in program on WPSU-TV that will address the future of nuclear energy. It's planned for 8 p.m. Thursday, March 24. "Nuclear Energy: Lessons from Japan" will focus on the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and a panel of Penn State experts will address public concerns about the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and discuss the implications for energy policy.

The University Office of Global Programs (UOGP) expressed deep concern on behalf of the entire Penn State community for the victims of the massive earthquake in Japan and resulting tsunamis and nuclear power plant damages. UOGP is working with officials in Japan and at the University to ensure that every effort is made to provide assistance to Japanese students on campus and Penn State students studying in Japan, and to fundraising efforts to send relief to those affected by the disaster. As of March 17, all 17 Penn State students studying in Japan, or scheduled to study in Japan, have been accounted for and are either already home or making their way back to the United States.

A new book provides unique insight into the struggles that Japan has been going through to reform its educational system. Gerald LeTendre, professor of education policy studies in Penn State's College of Education, collaborated with international scholars to reveal for the international community how the Japanese understand their own education system.

How do we begin to capture a substance as basic to our lives and legends, as omnipresent, as simple and complex, as sustaining and lethal, prosaic, exalted, easy to overlook, and irreplaceable, as cheap, plain, powerful, savory, sharp, gritty, and pure as sodium chloride?